FALLS CHURCH, Virginia, Dec. 16 -- Fairfax County Public Schools issued the following news: * * * Cappies Review: Herndon High's "Arsenic and Old Lace" Delivers Laughs and Strong Performances * Fairfax County Public Schools students are talented actors, musicians, and visual artists. Many FCPS high schools participate in the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Critics and Awards Program for High School Theatre, otherwise known as the Cappies. The Cappies is a program through which high school  more

OXFORD, Ohio, Dec. 16 -- Miami University posted the following news: * * * Changing conversations: Tammy Kernodle helps shape the discussion around music * For most of Tammy Kernodle's youth, she was a serious student of piano. Even when Kernodle enrolled at Virginia State University, her focus was still on one day becoming a concert pianist. That changed during her junior year, though, when Kernodle first read the book "Music of Black Americans: A History" by Eileen Southern. Southern's  more

NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia, Dec. 17 -- Christopher Newport University issued the following news: * * * President Kelly's Winter Commencement Remarks President Kelly's remarks at Winter Commencement, Dec. 15, 2025 as prepared for delivery. Good evening Captains, friends and family of Captains and all of those who made this wonderful evening possible. You all arrived right on time! Thank you to Rector Morton for your gracious welcome and thank you to all of the members of our Board of Visitors fo  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Dec. 16 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news: * * * Class of 2025: Amy Saucier Kelley, VCU's commencement pro, gets a degree of her own * By Sian Wilkerson For close to a decade, Virginia Commonwealth University's twice-yearly commencement ceremonies have been helmed by Amy Saucier Kelley, whose team puts in months of work to organize the capstone event of every semester. But this month, her wardrobe went beyond headset and binder - it included c  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Dec. 16 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news: * * * Class of 2025: Curiosity and a commitment to support propel Carlos Blank * By Ethan York and Leila Ugincius Carlos Blank's penchant for helping others has earned him the nickname "Alma de Dios" soul or angel of God among his peers. "I make an effort to support anyone who asks for my help, and even those who don't ask," he said. "I live this way because, during different stages of my life, I als  more

FAIRFAX, Virginia, Dec. 16 -- George Mason University issued the following news: * * * Driving community spirit: Kathy McKay's impact on George Mason * Kathleen (Kathy) McKay has deep ties to Fairfax, Virginia, her hometown. Her parents, James " Smilin ' Jim" and Ruth Averill McKay, were pioneers in the Fairfax business community; her father opened Jim McKay Chevrolet in 1956, becoming one of the first car dealers in the area. As student athlete at Woodson High School, she grew up near Geo  more

FALLS CHURCH, Virginia, Dec. 16 -- Fairfax County Public Schools issued the following news: * * * Educate Fairfax Celebrates $200,000 Donation to Support Health and Medical Sciences * This week, Educate Fairfax (link is external) received a generous donation of $200,000 from the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation (link is external) to support FCPS' Health and Medical Sciences program in a ceremony at Falls Church Academy. The investment continues a long-standing partnership focused on expand  more

FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 17 -- The University of Mary Washington issued the following news: * * * A Flurry of Research, Creativity and Inquiry on Display at UMW Fall Symposia By Sarah Hertz Mahoney Students across the University of Mary Washington capped off their fall semester with an unexpected snow day that only added to the excitement of presenting original research and creative work developed over months of effort. Across a series of end-of-semester symposia--held in multiple aca  more

FALLS CHURCH, Virginia, Dec. 17 -- General Dynamics issued the following news release on Dec. 16, 2025: * * * GDIT Awarded $285 Million Virginia Cybersecurity Services Contract Company to provide advanced cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and zero trust solutions for agencies statewide * General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), announced today it was awarded a $285 million contract by the Commonwealth of Virginia to strengthen its   more

FAIRFAX, Virginia, Dec. 16 -- George Mason University issued the following news: * * * George Mason coaching leaders hold first professional conference * Student Affairs and Academic Advising professionals from across the country attended the first Student Success Coaching Conference: Ignite Your Success Through Coaching in October. The conference, hosted by George Mason University's Student Success Coaching (SSC) unit, provided an opportunity for more than 400 coaching professionals from 10  more

FAIRFAX, Virginia, Dec. 15 -- George Mason University issued the following news: * * * George Mason honoring almost 5,300 graduates at Winter Commencement * George Mason University will honor nearly 5,300 students graduating or earning certificates at Winter Commencement at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at EagleBank Arena on the Fairfax Campus. The event will be livestreamed on George Mason's YouTube channel. Doors open an hour before the ceremony. The winter graduates hail from 87 countries and 38  more

MCLEAN, Virginia, Dec. 17 -- Hilton Worldwide Holdings posted the following news release on Dec. 16, 2025: * * * Hilton To Expand Luxury Footprint with LXR Hotels & Resorts in Turks and Caicos with AMARIS Grace Bay Slated to open in 2028, the bespoke luxury resort and branded residences will showcase refined design, authentic character, and a commitment to sustainable elegance in the heart of the Caribbean * TURKS AND CAICOS and MIAMI - Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today announced the signing of AMAR  more

FRONT ROYAL, Virginia, Dec. 15 -- Christendom College posted the following news: * * * Late Athletic Director Tom Vander Woude to Receive St. Gianna Molla Award for Pro-Life Heroism * Christendom College's late Athletic Director Tom Vander Woude will be posthumously honored with the St. Gianna Molla Award for Pro-Life Heroism at the West Coast March for Life this coming January, as announced by the organization this past week. Vander Woude, who sacrificed his life in 2008 to save his son, is  more

ARLINGTON, Virginia, Dec. 17 -- Leonardo DRS, a company that says it provides advanced defense technology to U.S. national security customers and allies around the world, issued the following news release on Dec. 16, 2025: * * * Leonardo DRS Achieves Major Milestone with First Space-Based Test of Next-Generation Secure Data Transport Capability Leonardo DRS, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRS) announced today the successful first on-orbit test of its revolutionary multi-channel software-defined radio (SDR) wi  more

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia, Dec. 16 -- Marshall University posted the following news release: * * * Marshall sociology and anthropology students complete walking path project in McDowell County, W.Va. Students in Professor Kristi McLeod's sociology class completed a community project in War, West Virginia, for the second year in a row, this time creating downtown walking paths to give community members increased access to pedestrian-safe exercise. The project was funded through a grant from   more

ROANOKE, Virginia, Dec. 15 -- The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech posted the following news: * * * Neurons within the brain localize genetic messages using simple rules, study finds * Scientists found that messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules that carry genetic instructions to the far reaches of neurons in the brain tend to cluster together mostly because they are abundant, not because they move in coordinated groups. The discovery, published in the Society for Neuroscience  more

SMITHFIELD, Virginia, Dec. 17 -- Smithfield Foods, an American food company, issued the following news release: * * * Smithfield Foods Distributes 1,000 Holiday Hams to Fight Hunger in Hampton Roads Smithfield Foods, in collaboration with Kroger, distributed 1,000 free holiday hams and grocery bags filled with side dishes as part of its Season of Serving food distribution event, providing a complete meal to neighbors facing hunger in Southeastern Virginia. "The Tidewater region of Virginia h  more

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 16 -- William and Mary issued the following news: * * * Students bring 'Liquid Commonwealth' to life at the Muscarelle * A new exhibit at the Muscarelle Museum of Art owes its existence to the students in The Curatorial Project, an undergraduate course required for William & Mary students with a concentration in art history. It began last August with a call for artworks around the idea of Virginia as a place shaped by its various liquid environments: the Atlant  more

CONCORD, New Hampshire, Dec. 17 -- The University of New Hampshire School of Law issued the following news: * * * In A Time of Political Violence and Discord, Investigative Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy Warns Apathy Is Greatest Threat to American Democracy When attorney Timothy Heaphy learned a White Supremacist rally had turned deadly in the streets of his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, he knew he had something to offer. "I raised my hand and volunteered, and the city hired me and the   more

BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 17 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news: * * * Helmet Lab releases its first ratings for youth hockey helmets The lab tested 33 helmets, giving each a star rating from 0 to 5, with the latter being the top performing products. By Travis Williams The latest ratings from the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab aim to help young people select the best headgear for hat tricks. On Dec. 16, the lab released its first-ever ratings for youth hockey helmets. Using the lab's   more

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, Dec. 16 -- William and Mary issued the following news: * * * W&M awarded $1M DOE grant to advance AI-assisted detector design, optimization * The following story originally appeared on the website for W&M's School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics. - Ed. William & Mary has received a new $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to lead the next phase of AID2E, an ambitious effort to integrate artificial intelligence into the design and optimization of  more

WEST LIBERTY, West Virginia, Dec. 17 -- West Liberty University issued the following news: * * * West Liberty University Dental Hygiene Students Gain Hands-On Experience Through Collaboration with Ohio County Schools West Liberty University's Dental Hygiene program continues to strengthen its partnership with Ohio County Schools, providing students with meaningful, hands-on experience in community-based oral health care. Through these collaborative efforts, Dental Hygiene (DH) students apply   more

BUCKHANNON, West Virginia, Dec. 16 -- West Virginia Wesleyan College posted the following news: * * * West Virginia Wesleyan College Announces President's List, Provost's List For Fall 2025 * BUCKHANNON, West Virginia - West Virginia Wesleyan College has announced its President's List and Provost's List students for the Fall 2025 semester. President's List is composed of students who earned a 4.0 for the semester while completing at least 12 semester hours with no incomplete grades. The fu  more

BUFFALO, New York, Dec. 17 -- Delaware North issued the following news release: * * * White Hat Studios launches with Betly mobile sportsbook and casino in West Virginia Partnership sees leading branded content and popular Jackpot Royale(TM) integrated into Delaware North's Betly online casino in the Mountain State * White Hat Studios, the "'House of Brands" provider to the United States iGaming market, has partnered with Delaware North to launch on its Betly mobile sportsbook and casino in  more